Opened Today! 7 Reasons to Love Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

After years of anticipation, the day has finally arrived! The Walt Disney World New Fantasyland expansion reached completion today as the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened to guests. Last month I had the opportunity to preview this amazing new attraction featuring an interactive queuing area and patented, ground-breaking technology. Not convinced that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the sparkling, pixie dust covered diamond it appears to be? Check out these seven reasons to love Seven Dwarfs Mine Train that will have you singing hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Walt Disney World we go!

1. Interactive Queue

Frequent guests of Walt Disney World will recognize that the queuing system for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train follows the recent practice of creating attraction waiting and loading areas that are just as much a part of the overall attraction experience as the ride itself. As guests weave through the line, they encounter a series of interactive stations from an electronic jewel washing station to a musical fountain. Before you know it, you’ve arrived at the loading station inside the mine.

2. Enchanted Forest

Before arriving at the interactive stations, guests first wind through the Enchanted Forest where they’ll see the impressions of sticks, stone, acorns, and footprints of the forest animals they’ve seen in the classic film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As they leave the ride, guests will once again find themselves meandering through the forest where they’ll happen upon the…

3. Dwarfs Cottage

Get your cameras ready! You’ve just had the time of your life on the amazing new attraction and as you make your way out of the attraction, you look up to realize that you’re standing next to the dwarfs cottage, small and cozy just as you remembered from the film. Don’t forget to look closely and find the Wicked Queen, disguised as an old hag, watching the dwarfs and Snow through the window.

4. Dopey on Sneezy’s Shoulders

Guests of Walt Disney World who have had the opportunity to attend the Magic Kingdom’s new Festival of Fantasy Parade may have noticed one character they’re not used to seeing in parades: Dopey on Sneezy’s Shoulders. You may remember that in the film, Dopey sits on his pal’s shoulders in order to be able to dance with the beautiful Snow White. As you come to the end of your trip through the Seven Dwarfs Mine, watch for Dopey and Sneezy through the window of the cottage on your right.

5. Dwarf Figures from Snow White’s Scary Adventure

Diehard fans of Snow White’s Scary Adventure were less than thrilled that the classic adventure was taken away to make space for the progress heralded by the creation of New Fantasyland. If you count yourself among that group, you’ll be happy to know that the figures of Grumpy, Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, and Happy seen in the cottage at the end of the attraction were actually taken from the original Snow White’s Scary Adventure attraction.

6. Patented Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride System

I’m here to admit that not much gets my geek-out happiness flowing like hearing from an Imagineer, so imagine my joy when I had the opportunity to listen to an Imagineer explain the patented technology created specifically for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction. This new technology allows the train cars to swing independently from side to side while moving along the ride’s track. It’s an incredible experience to see the cars in front of you moving slightly differently from yours as you weave in and out of the hills and corners of the attraction.

7. Dwarfs Shadows from the Original Film

One of the aspects about Disney that I love most is the brilliant attention to detail that so frequently merges the past with the present with an eye towards the future. My absolute favorite moment of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction is when the shadows of the dwarfs marching home suddenly appear on the inside wall of the mine along the track. A technique called rotoscoping was used to take the image of these shadows from the original film. Listen to hear them singing ” … home from work we go.”

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